'Batman: Arkham Knight' Release Date Delayed Until 2015?

Rocksteady’s “Batman: Arkham Knight,” which the company was set to launch this fall for the Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4, may be delayed until next year, according to a rumor from WonderCon Anaheim 2014, a sci-fi, comic book and motion picture convention held in California April 18-20.

During a DC Comics All-Access event, panelists told the audience that the release date for the upcoming action-adventure game had been pushed back to sometime next year, despite a previously confirmed Oct. 14 release date. DC is the publisher of the "Batman” comic book series and the owner of the rights to the superhero that Rocksteady has based its “Arkham” game series around.

The panelists included DC editors Mike Cotton, Shelly Bond and Jim Chadwick. Their involvement with the game’s production hasn’t been confirmed, but it doesn’t seem likely any DC employee would lie about their involvement to a dedicated group of "Batman" fans.

Rocksteady hasn’t confirmed the delay rumor, although it may still be in the process of deciding on a realistic release date for the game.

Last week, Rocksteady revealed some new screenshots for "Arkham Knight." The single-player game is the fourth installment in the series, and it is set to be the final chapter in the “Arkham” games. Last month, we talked about what we want to see in the game.

Kevin Conroy, 58, will return as the voice of Batman. Conroy also portrayed the Dark Knight in “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and “Batman: Arkham City.”

“It will fit just about in an Xbox 360 if [that was the whole] game. It’s very next-gen,” said art director David Hego in last month’s issue of GameInformer. "Arkham Knight" will be available on the PC, Xbox One and PS4, but not on the Xbox 360 or PS3.

"The real challenge is making sure you're getting the best out of the machines. It's easy to get the game running, but it's about, 'What can we do that really pushes those machines?'" Hill said. "Obviously, you see a lot of games that are cross-gen, and they feel la bit reined in because of that. Because we were able to make that decision quite early, we were able to be more ambitious with the design and make a real, genuine next-gen game."

Hill discussed the challenges of creating such a complex project.

"I think for us the main thing was, 'Please let us make this game,'" he said. "It's not going to be quick, and it's going to be quite hard, and it's probably going to be quite expensive."

Hill also discussed the Arkham Knight, Batman's mysterious and dangerous new enemy. “We wanted to introduce someone who could really challenge Batman, to go head-to-head with him in lots of different ways," he said. "This guy is definitely a formidable foe for Batman.”

The story begins one year after 2011’s “Arkham City.” In the game, Batman is forced to confront the Scarecrow, who has returned to Gotham City to bring together Batman’s enemies and ultimately destroy him. Citizens are ordered to evacuate the town -- and Batman must take on the Arkham Knight.

This is the first game in the series that will allow users to drive the Batmobile, an experience that will undoubtedly be thrill the game's fans. In the game, the Batmobile will be nearly invincible, as it will have the ability to perform burnouts, jumps and boosts while simultaneously being bulletproof.

“Basically … nothing stops the Batmobile," Hill said. "It’s pretty much an unstoppable force. When you think Batman, you do think Batmobile. It’s the one key thing that we’ve really felt that we always wanted to do.”

Like the angst-ridden hero, users will be able to call the Batmobile by pressing a button. Users can also eject themselves from the vehicle at high speeds.